All At Once
by Dizzy-Dreamer
Summary: Sometimes the hardest thing and the right thing are the same [Measure of Men][HarmMac]
1. one

Post-_Measure Of Men_ (7x03); Harm/Mac (who else?); lyrics from _All At Once_ by The Fray (didn't think they were mine, did you!).  
I own nada: characters who may or may not be mentioned, lyrics, the USS Guadalcanal - no, sadly, she belongs to the United States Navy - supposedly, anyway.  
With thanks to **delgaserasca**, once again, for the wonderful beta.  
Would like to be dedicating this one to everyone who felt cheated out of a real ending in FWFS. Here's to a real resolution, someday.

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**All At Once**

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_There are certain people you just keep coming  
Back to, she is right in front of you; you begin to  
Wonder, could you find a better one compared  
To her now she's in question?_  
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Damn it, Hammer, you're so far over your head. The SecNav was right when he said you never make things easy. Damn, he was right. And look where taking the messy road got you: God-knows-which carrier in the middle of God-knows-which ocean answering a question you never wanted to even hear, least of all from her lips. Scratch that. You're _not_ answering the question. Damn it, Hammer. You've really gone and done it this time.

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_I'm so sick of this dance_; she leaves, he's stood in her quarters – his question unanswered, hers about to be. _I would give her up_.

He follows her out, though he knows it's almost certainly pointless: she'll run, it's her only defence now, he's broken all the others. Whenever he sees Reneé, he wishes she were someone else – he wishes she were Mac, because Mac is his constant; she's always there when his world falls apart, she keeps him grounded, a feat in itself.

She's seen him at his best, she's seen him at his worst; she was there when he fell, when he lost his faith, when no-one else was. And she's always there at the end; when he's back to square one, she's barely a step behind. His constant, his lifeline, and he knows he loves her – more than Diane (God, Diane, he hasn't thought of her in so long – he doesn't see her anymore, he sees Mac), more than Reneé, more than Jordan, definitely more than Neurotic Annie.

He calls after her – to no avail; she's gone, he resigns himself to the fact that he's lost her once again (but, if he's lucky, they'll come back to each other again, because that's what they always do).


	2. two

I said I'd try and make my chapters longer and, well, I failed. But there's only one more after this (and it's super-short!) so I hope you won't hate on me too much.

As per usual, I don't own the people, and the lyrics belong to The Fray. Thanks to **delgaserasca **for the beta.

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**All At Once**

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_All at once the crowd begins to sing, sometimes the  
Hardest thing and the right thing are the same;  
Maybe you want her, maybe you need her, maybe  
You started to compare to someone not there_  
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You know she's everything you dreamed of – everything you still dream of, because she haunts your dreams at night. She's always there, sometimes she's waiting for you, sometimes she's hurting you – the dreams mirror your lives - but you know that one thing remains the same no matter what: _she's always there_.

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He sits in his own quarters two hours later; he's done with his investigation for the night, he'll resume his duties in the morning. He finds himself thinking of girlfriends of the past; how she's not clingy like Jordan, not superficial and possessive like Reneé. She's needy and she can be vulnerable, but she's tough and she can hold her own; she fights her own battles (hell, most of the time, she wins) and doesn't need a man to hide behind.

He knows what he has to do, his mind is made up. His heart pounds wildly in his chest just thinking about it; he's tempted to shrug his shoulders and assign the task to tomorrow's list – but he can't, he has to do this and he has to do it now – or he never will.

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(TO BE CONTINUED.)


	3. three

I figured I might aswell post the final chapter now. It's only super-short, as I said in chapter two. Same rules apply; not mine, thanks to **delgaserasca**.

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**All At Once**

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_Maybe you want it, maybe you need it,  
Maybe it's all you're running from;  
Perfection will not come_  
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Her lips are the sweetest thing you've ever tasted, and you know it's such a horrible cliché when you look into her eyes. When you hold her in your arms later, just happy to be with her, you know it was the right thing to do.

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He runs after her and drags her back towards the legal office. She protests; not loudly, but silently – glaring and pulling away. He presses her against the wall and kisses her. I'd give up everything for you.

He isn't perfect, nor is she; they lie together later, consoled by the sounds of the others' breathing.

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_Sometimes the hardest thing and the right thing are the same._  
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_


End file.
